Implementing OIDC with Didit: Secure SSO & User Auth

In today's security landscape, robust user authentication is paramount. OpenID Connect (OIDC) has emerged as the industry standard for identity federation and Single Sign-On (SSO), offering a secure and interoperable way to manage user access across multiple applications. Didit's identity platform fully supports OIDC, enabling developers to easily integrate our powerful identity verification capabilities into their existing applications. This guide will walk you through the process of implementing OIDC with Didit, covering architectural considerations, code examples, and best practices.

Key Takeaway 1: OIDC simplifies user authentication by allowing applications to trust a central identity provider (like Didit) to verify user credentials.

Key Takeaway 2: Integrating Didit with OIDC enhances security by adding identity verification steps – such as face match or document verification – to the standard authentication flow.

Key Takeaway 3: Didit's OIDC implementation supports various grant types, allowing flexibility for different application architectures (web, mobile, native).

Key Takeaway 4: Utilizing Didit’s OIDC capabilities drastically reduces the burden of managing user credentials, especially for applications requiring high levels of trust.

Understanding the OIDC Flow with Didit

The typical OIDC flow involves several steps. First, the application (the Relying Party) redirects the user to Didit (the Identity Provider) for authentication. Didit presents the user with the appropriate authentication challenge – this could be password login, multi-factor authentication, or a Didit-specific identity verification flow. Once authenticated, Didit redirects the user back to the application with an ID Token, which contains claims about the user’s identity. This ID Token is digitally signed by Didit, ensuring its authenticity.

Didit's OIDC implementation extends this standard flow by allowing you to insert identity verification steps before issuing the ID Token. For example, you can configure a flow that requires a user to complete a face match verification before granting access to a sensitive application. This adds an extra layer of security, protecting against account takeover and fraudulent access.

Setting Up Your Didit OIDC Application

To begin, you'll need to create an OIDC application within the Didit Business Console. This involves configuring the following:

• Redirect URIs: The URLs where Didit will redirect the user after authentication.
• Client ID & Client Secret: Credentials used to authenticate your application with Didit. Keep the client secret confidential.
• Scopes: The permissions your application requests from Didit (e.g., openid, profile, email, didit_verification).
• Grant Types: The OIDC grant types supported by your application (e.g., Authorization Code, Implicit).

Didit supports the following OIDC grant types:

• Authorization Code: Recommended for web applications, providing enhanced security.
• Implicit: Suitable for Single-Page Applications (SPAs), but less secure than the Authorization Code grant.
• Client Credentials: For machine-to-machine communication.

Integrating with Your Application

The integration process depends on your application’s architecture and chosen grant type. Here’s a simplified example using the Authorization Code grant in a Node.js application with the openid-client library:

const { AuthorizationCode } = require('openid-client');

const client = new AuthorizationCode({
  client_id: 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
  client_secret: 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
  discovery_url: 'https://auth.didit.me/.well-known/openid-configuration',
  redirect_uri: 'YOUR_REDIRECT_URI'
});

// Initiate the authorization flow
async function authorize() {
  const authUrl = await client.getAuthorizationUrl();
  console.log('Navigate to:', authUrl);
}

// Handle the callback from Didit
async function handleCallback(code) {
  const tokenSet = await client.handleCallback(code);
  console.log('ID Token:', tokenSet.id_token);
  console.log('Access Token:', tokenSet.access_token);
}

Remember to replace placeholders with your actual Didit application credentials. You’ll also need to verify the ID Token's signature to ensure its authenticity.

Leveraging Didit Verification within the OIDC Flow

To integrate Didit’s identity verification, you can request the didit_verification scope. Didit will then require users to complete a verification process (e.g., face match, document verification) before issuing the ID Token. The resulting verification status can be included as a claim in the ID Token, allowing your application to make access control decisions based on the verification result.

How Didit Helps

Didit simplifies OIDC integration by providing a fully compliant and secure identity provider. We handle the complexities of identity management, allowing you to focus on building your application. With Didit, you benefit from:

• Reduced Development Effort: Pre-built OIDC support and comprehensive documentation.
• Enhanced Security: Integration with Didit’s robust identity verification capabilities.
• Scalability: Didit’s platform is designed to handle high volumes of authentication requests.
• Compliance: SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance.
• Improved User Experience: Frictionless authentication with optional identity verification.

Ready to Get Started?

Ready to enhance your application's security with OIDC and Didit?

• Create a Didit Business Account
• View our OIDC documentation
• Request a Demo